Siaya Gears up for Rollout of Massive ECDE Feeding Program

Photos | Directorate of Public Communication, County Government of Siaya

The program is set to be launched officially by Governor James Aggrey Bob Orengo on January 27, 2025. The program aims to provide fortified porridge to over 45,000 learners in more than 700 public ECDE centres across the County

Last year the Orengo administration launched a pilot program in select schools benefiting up to 1,400 pupils in one Ward alone at a paltry cost of KES 2.2 million drawn from the County’s supplementary budget.

The program aims to support pupils from humble families who often go without meals, enabling them to concentrate more on their classwork.

“The program is not tailored to counter private schools, but rather to ensure a uniform and level ground for all ECDE learners who need more attention,” Michael Adela the South Uyoma Ward MCA said during the pilot launch.

The implementation of this program brings to memory the free milk program in public schools by the second president of Kenya, Daniel Arap Moi, which aimed at promoting school enrollment.

Through the Department of Education, Youth Affairs, Gender, and Social Services, led by the Chief Officer for Education and Training, Mr. Richard Ogeda the meeting today focused on modalities of rolling out the feeding program in all public schools in the county.

The meeting also brought together officials from the Ministry of Education including the County Director of Education Mr. Mbugua Kabaki, and Sub-County ECDE Coordinators.

Mr. Ogeda clarified that school teachers, as accounting officers, would be responsible for managing funds collected for the program. This measure ensures accountability and transparency for parents and stakeholders regarding the program’s financial management, time, and human resource allocation.

Regarding stand alone ECDE centres, the Chief Officer promised to do further consultations and provide appropriate feedback on the implementation framework.

Mr. Kabaki reminded the officials that while functions such as ECDE have been devolved, the National Government remains responsible for policy formulation, quality assurance, monitoring, and evaluation. He emphasized that ECDE functions were devolved to enable each county to address its unique needs effectively.

He further encouraged coordinators to familiarize themselves with the Basic Education Act 2013 and its relevance to early childhood education.

Participants in today’s meeting included representatives from KMET and Smart Start Siaya, both key partners in the upcoming program.

Read more here: https://siaya.go.ke